Kernel representation-based End-to-End network-enabled decoding strategy for precise and medical diagnosis.

Artificial intelligence-assisted imaging biosensors have attracted increasing attention due to their flexibility, allowing for the digital image analysis and quantification of biomarkers. While deep learning methods have led to advancements in biomarker identification, the diversity in the density and adherence of targets still poses a serious challenge. In this regard, we propose CellNet, a neural network model specifically designed for detecting dense targets.

m6A RNA methylation modulates autophagy by targeting Map1lc3b in bisphenol A induced Leydig cell dysfunction.

Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure can affect testicular Leydig cells (LCs), potentially causing male infertility. Research suggests that RNA epigenetic response to environmental exposure may impact LCs function and testosterone production, but the role of N-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA methylation in mediating BPA exposure and its regulatory mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate that BPA exposure significantly reduces testosterone biosynthesis and upregulates m6A modification in LCs using both in vivo and in vitro models.

Prediction of testicular histology in azoospermia patients through deep learning-enabled two-dimensional grayscale ultrasound.

Testicular histology based on testicular biopsy is an important factor for determining appropriate testicular sperm extraction surgery and predicting sperm retrieval outcomes in patients with azoospermia. Therefore, we developed a deep learning (DL) model to establish the associations between testicular grayscale ultrasound images and testicular histology. We retrospectively included two-dimensional testicular grayscale ultrasound from patients with azoospermia (353 men with 4357 images between July 2017 and December 2021 in The First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China) to develop a DL model.

Influencing factors of kinesiophobia in knee arthroplasty patients under the social cognitive theory: A structural equation model.

Objective: To analyze the path relationships among influencing factors for kinesiophobia in knee arthroplasty patients through a structural equation model.

Background: The occurrence of kinesiophobia significantly impacts the rehabilitation process of knee arthroplasty patients. However, there is still a need to determine factors that contribute to reducing kinesiophobia.

Grade III Varicocele Surgical Treatment using Spermatic Vein-Superficial Abdominal Vein Shunt.

Microsurgical varicocelectomy is the most commonly used method for the treatment of varicocele (VC) in recent years. However, it is technically demanding with the risk of damaging the normal anatomical structure of the spermatic cord, such as the cremaster muscle, testicular artery, and vas deferens during the pampiniform plexus ligation. Also, traditional varicocelectomy hinders the drainage of the stagnant venous blood of the affected testicle, resulting in a persistent scrotal appearance of varicose veins and slower remission of swelling sensation in postoperative patients with grade III VC.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals transcriptomic landscape and potential targets for human testicular ageing.

Study Question: What is the molecular landscape underlying the functional decline of human testicular ageing?

Summary Answer: The present study provides a comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic atlas of testes from young and old humans and offers insights into the molecular mechanisms and potential targets for human testicular ageing.

What Is Known Already: Testicular ageing is known to cause male age-related fertility decline and hypogonadism. Dysfunction of testicular cells has been considered as a key factor for testicular ageing.

Cell-specific expression of Cre recombinase in rat noradrenergic neurons via CRISPR-Cas9 system.

Noradrenergic neurons play a crucial role in the functioning of the nervous system. They formed compact small clusters in the central nervous system. To target noradrenergic neurons in combination with viral tracing and achieve cell-type specific functional manipulation using chemogenetic or optogenetic tools, new transgenic animal lines are needed, especially rat models for their advantages in large body size with facilitating easy operation, physiological parameter monitoring, and accommodating complex behavioral and cognitive studies.

FOXO4-DRI improves spermatogenesis in aged mice through reducing senescence-associated secretory phenotype secretion from Leydig cells.

Male ageing is always accompanied by decreased fertility. The forkhead O (FOXO) transcription factor FOXO4 is reported to be highly expressed in senescent cells. Upon activation, it binds p53 in the nucleus, preventing senescent cell apoptosis and maintaining senescent cells in situ.

AAV-mediated gene therapy restores natural fertility and improves physical function in the Lhcgr-deficient mouse model of Leydig cell failure.

Leydig cell failure (LCF) caused by gene mutations leads to testosterone deficiency, infertility and reduced physical function. Adeno-associated virus serotype 8 (AAV8)-mediated gene therapy shows potential in treating LCF in the Lhcgr-deficient (Lhcgr) mouse model. However, the gene-treated mice still cannot naturally sire offspring, indicating the modestly restored testosterone and spermatogenesis in AAV8-treated mice remain insufficient to support natural fertility.

MSC-derived exosomes mitigate cadmium-induced male reproductive injury by ameliorating DNA damage and autophagic flux.

Cadmium, an environmental toxicant, severely impairs male reproductive functions and currently lacks effective clinical treatments. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC-Exos) are increasingly recognized as a potential alternative to whole-cell therapy for tissue injury and regeneration. This study aims to investigate the protective effects of MSC-Exos against cadmium toxicity on male reproduction.

Prenatal DEHP exposure induces lifelong testicular toxicity by continuously interfering with steroidogenic gene expression.

Background: Epidemiologic studies suggested the association between prenatal di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) exposure and disorders of sex development (DSD), adult male disorders, and reproductive aging. Inhibiting testosterone synthesis by interfering with steroidogenic gene expression induces testicular toxicity, however, whether prenatal DEHP exposure induces testicular toxicity through this mechanism remains uncertain.

Methods: C57BL/6JGpt male mice underwent different doses (0, 100, 500, 1,000 mg/kg) of prenatal DEHP exposure during gestational day 10 to delivery day, the testicular toxicity (genital development, testosterone, semen quality, and morphology of testis tissue) in the neonatal, post-puberal and middle-aged stages was observed, and the steroidogenic gene (, , , , , and ) expression was analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and Western blot (WB).

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate exposure induces premature testicular senescence by disrupting mitochondrial respiratory chain through STAT5B-mitoSTAT3 in Leydig cell.

Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a prevalent plasticizer, is known to have endocrine-disrupting effects on males and cause reproductive toxicity. There were causal effects of DEHP on testosterone levels in the real world by Mendelian randomization analysis. Exposure to DEHP during the preadult stage might lead to premature testicular senescence, but the mechanisms responsible for this have yet to be determined.

Stem Leydig cells support macrophage immunological homeostasis through mitochondrial transfer in mice.

As testicular mesenchymal stromal cells, stem Leydig cells (SLCs) show great promise in the treatment of male hypogonadism. The therapeutic functions of mesenchymal stromal cells are largely determined by their reciprocal regulation by immune responses. However, the immunoregulatory properties of SLCs remain unclear.

Human Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell-Derived Exosomes Rescue Testicular Aging.

Background: Testicular aging is associated with diminished fertility and certain age-related ailments, and effective therapeutic interventions remain elusive. Here, we probed the therapeutic efficacy of exosomes derived from human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUMSC-Exos) in counteracting testicular aging.

Methods: We employed a model of 22-month-old mice and administered intratesticular injections of hUMSC-Exos.

Combination of High Ligation and Intraoperative Embolization using Polidocanol for Treatment of Varicoceles.

Varicoceles are dilated veins within the pampiniform plexus and are relatively common in the general male population. The spermatic vein has many branches in the scrotal segment and then gradually merges into 1-2 trunks after passing through the internal inguinal ring. The key to a successful varicocelectomy is to ligate all the spermatic veins while protecting the testicular arteries and spermatic lymphatic vessels from damage.

Impact of cognitive behavioral therapy on premature ejaculation patients: A prospective, randomized controlled trial protocol.

Background: Premature ejaculation (PE) is one of the most common male sexual dysfunctions, with a prevalence of about 4%-39% in the Chinese population. Studies have shown that a variety of biological factors can lead to premature ejaculation, such as central nervous system disorders, hypersensitivity of the penis head, and psychological factors. Based on clinical experience, psychological counseling and education of patients and partners should be ranked as the first priority when treating PE.

SAVE Testis-sparing score: a multicenter retrospective study of a novel predictive tool for quantifying testicular tumors.

Background: Testis-sparing surgery (TSS) is a safe treatment for patients with benign testicular tumors. Presently, assessments for evaluating the suitability of TSS are poorly standardized, partially because testicular anatomical elements cannot be quantitatively described.

Materials And Methods: The authors developed a scoring method known as the SAVE testis-sparing score based on four critical and accessible anatomical features of a testicular tumor.

Precise Correction of Lhcgr Mutation in Stem Leydig Cells by Prime Editing Rescues Hereditary Primary Hypogonadism in Mice.

Hereditary primary hypogonadism (HPH), caused by gene mutation related to testosterone synthesis in Leydig cells, usually impairs male sexual development and spermatogenesis. Genetically corrected stem Leydig cells (SLCs) transplantation may provide a new approach for treating HPH. Here, a novel nonsense-point-mutation mouse model (Lhcgr ) is first generated based on a gene mutation relative to HPH patients.

Prenatal DEHP Exposure Induces Premature Testicular Aging by Promoting Leydig Cell Senescence through the MAPK Signaling Pathways.

Previous studies show that prenatal di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) exposure induces premature testicular aging. However, the evidence is weak, and the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. p38/extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase (JNK) MAPK pathways participate in aging.

On-chip integrated exceptional surface microlaser.

The on-chip integrated visible microlaser is a core unit of high-speed visible-light communication with huge bandwidth resources, which needs robustness against fabrication errors, compressible linewidth, reducible threshold, and in-plane emission. However, until now, it has been a great challenge to meet these requirements simultaneously. Here, we report a scalable strategy to realize a robust on-chip integrated visible microlaser with further improved lasing performances enabled by the increased orders () of exceptional surfaces, and experimentally verify the strategy by demonstrating the performances of a second-order exceptional surface-tailored microlaser.

Altered transcriptomic and metabolomic profiles of testicular interstitial fluid during aging in mice.

The testicular interstitial fluid (TIF) that bathes seminiferous tubules and testicular interstitial cells is the main microenvironment of the testis and involved in crosstalk between testicular cells. TIF also provides a new mean to investigate dysfunctional states of testis such as spermatogenic disorder and aging. In this study, we performed integrative omics analysis on the exosomal transcriptomics and liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) based non-targeted metabolomics in TIF by comparison between 21-month-old and 3-month-old male mice.

Ningmitai capsules have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving effects in the chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome mouse model through systemic immunity.

Chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) seriously affects the physical and mental health of approximately 90% of males. Due to its complex and unclear etiology, the treatment methods that are currently available for chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome are controversial, and their efficacy is unsatisfactory. At present, most researchers believe that this kind of prostatitis is caused by autoimmune inflammation.

MA-CharNet: Multi-angle fusion character recognition network.

Irregular text recognition of natural scene is a challenging task due to large span of character angles and morphological diversity of a word. Recent work first rectifies curved word region, and then employ sequence algorithm to complete the recognition task. However, this strategy largely depends on rectification quality of the text region, and cannot be applied to large difference between tilt angles of character.